It’s not every day you carry a Bobcat kitten wrapped in a hoodie or speak to a woman holding a goose in her lap as she kayaks down a river while talking to you on her cell phone.
But the real highlight of the year for me has been all the bears.
Having moved to our new “retirement” home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia during the past year, I finally was able to realize one of my retirement dream goals.
In thinking back on 2017, which marked my fifth year volunteering at the Wildlife Center in the Rehabilitation area, my most memorable experience involved rescuing a sick turtle, following along with its treatment, and then being able to release it back to the wild ... the very essence of what the Wildlife Center’s mission is!
I’ve enjoyed these “first” two months back at WCV, and cannot wait to see what the future has in store. Bring on the baby robins and bear cubs!
A classmate first mentioned the Wildlife Center of Virginia during our final fall semester at James Madison University. I had no idea that the brief conversation – which took place on a hallway floor as we were cramming for a midterm – would forever change my life.
I have seen many colleagues come and go over these years, but in a unique field like wildlife rehabilitation and environmental education, bonds are developed quickly within our small staff.
One of the very best things about working at the Wildlife Center (other than working daily with a Peregrine Falcon and a hog-nosed snake) is working with so many great people.
My time here at the Center began in the middle of the year as the new six-month veterinary intern. Being a new graduate of veterinary school in May, I was very nervous to start my internship but also filled with excitement, because wildlife medicine has always been my true passion.
This year has been one of the most challenging, exciting, and difficult years of my personal and professional life.
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